A Work of Art

What do you think of when you hear the word, “art”? Monet? Matisse? Mona Lisa? We can create, admire, and collect art. From the paintings of the masters to craft projects our children make for us, art has a place in our scrapbooks.

Including Art Projects in Your Albums
Many times I am inundated with precious pieces of artwork from my three children. As happy as I am to see them being creative, if I kept it all I would quickly have boxes and boxes of craft projects to deal with. Here are some ideas to cut down the paperwork but still save the memories:

• Create an artwork portfolio and include one to two favorite pieces of artwork per month.
• Take a picture of your child with the piece of art and use the picture in your scrapbook.
• Scan the artwork and reduce it. Print it out and use as an embellishment on a page.
• Create a mini-album of your child’s scanned artwork.
• Create a photo collage of your child’s scanned artwork.
• Create an actual piece of artwork on your page with acid-free materials.

These same ideas can be applied to your own artwork. If you are an artisan, include photos, awards and pieces of your own artwork in your scrapbooks. Future generations will love to see the things you have created.

Using Art Images

• Include images of certain paintings, sculptures, or other artwork that is special to you.
• Create a tribute page to an artist that has inspired you.
• Use art images as embellishments on your page. For instance, in my “Masterpiece” layout I included famous artwork on my page to help portray the theme of the layout.

Here are a couple of companies that produce art-themed scrapbooking materials and reproductions to use in your scrapbooks:

www.alteredpages.com
www.bluecardigan.com
www.stampington.com

Art as Inspiration
Use artwork as inspiration for your own pages. Take a trip to your local art gallery or peruse the halls of the masters via the internet to spark some creativity. You can use art work to inspire you by:

• Taking one element out of the artwork and recreating it on your page.
• Using the composition of the artwork as a framework for your layout design.
• Copying the textures of the artwork onto your layout.
• Mimicking the color palette of the art piece on your layout.
• Duplicating the theme of the artwork on your layout.

Art Inspiration Links:
www.artcyclopedia.com
www.art.com
icom.museum/vlmp/galleries.html

Quotes:

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. - Scott Adams

A work of art is a world in itself reflecting senses and emotions of the artist’s world. - Hans Hoffman

Creativity takes courage. - Henri Matisse

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. - Pablo Picasso

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. - Henry Ward Beecher

The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep. - Paul Strand

Anyone who says you can't see a thought simply doesn't know art. - Wynetka Ann Reynolds

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for. - Georgia O'Keeffe

For even more great art-inspired and -themed layout ideas, check out the art theme gallery.